The US military asks for money for tactically responsive space

The request of the US military to the Senate contains a requirement to provide USD 60 million for tactically responsive space. The Tactically Responsive Launch program provides for the launch of a spacecraft at the request of the Ministry of Defense by a commercial rocket in the shortest possible time.

Tactically responsive space. Source: twitter.com/asunewspace

Military is asking the Senate for money

The appeals of the US military to the US Senate published last week contain a request to allocate USD 60 million for tactically responsive space. Over the past years, the government has allocated about USD 110 million for such programs.

Despite this, the development of systems providing for the launch of spacecraft at the request of the military in a reduced time is still not funded by a separate line of the budget. Not only the US military, but also private operators are lobbying for these costs to be included in a separate article.

The problem is that the military is afraid that a hostile state may use satellite weapons and hacker attacks to withdraw the communication and surveillance spacecraft on which they rely. 

It is planned to solve it by launching a new satellite into space to replace the lost one in just a few days. And private companies with sufficient flexibility in decision-making plan to take on such a launch.

How is tactically responsive space developing?

Currently, Firefly Aerospace is considered the main partner of the US military in the creation of tactically responsive space. A contract was signed with it and the manufacturer of the Millennium Space satellites in September. According to it, they have eight months to create the necessary system.

After this period, at any time, the US military may receive a request for an urgent launch of a demonstration spacecraft. And companies will have to implement it within 24 hours.

The mission is called Tactically Responsive Launch-3, it is the development of a number of preliminary tests. During which, in particular, in 2021, the Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket was launched from Vandenberg Base.

According to spacenews.com.

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